Smart Irrigation Tip

Did you know a running hose can release up to 10 gallons per minute?

A Great Companion

Did you know Nasturtiums are a great companion plant? 

Their peppery leaves fend off insects from your garden. Nasturtiums deter cucumber beetles, bean beetles, wooly aphids, white flies, and squash vine borers.  Cabbage, cucumber, and tomatoes will benefit from planting Nasturtiums in a circle around each plant.

Nasturtiums are also edible.  The flowers can be used to add color to salads and leaves will add a nice peppery bite to salads. Seeds can be used like capers.

As an added bonus, Nasturtiums can grow in poor soil and only require sun and water.  

6 Great Benefits of Raised Garden Beds

1. Much longer growing season because of the warmer soil earlier in the season. 

2. Less weeds.  Weed barrier fabric can be installed under the garden box.  Use weed free soil in the box as well.

3. No soil compaction from foot traffic, resulting in better drainage.

4. Easier to reach the vegetables.  No more getting down on the ground!

5. More growing space.

6. They look great in the yard!

Outdoor Kitchen

Freshen Your Landscape for Year-round Use

With the high cost associated with building a new home, some homeowners are choosing to remodel-inside and outside.  Landscaping upgrades increase outdoor living possibilities.

"Homeowners like being able to take the party outside," says Karl Kuhni, owner of Kuhni Landscaping.  "The outdoors are quickly turning into an extension of the living space."

Freshening the landscape starts with making the best use of the space you have.  Homeowners can make usable space by adding structures like trellises, fountains, outdoor kitchens, fire pits and walkways - creating an environment of gathering.

"Fire pits are great year round," Karl says.  "They're a heat source that's easy to use and it creates a gathering place in summer and winter."

Landscape remodels aren't being reserved for large homes on massive lots. In fact, some of the most creative landscapes Karl has worked on have been on small properties. "When you have smaller areas, you can design areas that have specific functions," Karl says.  

Walkways bring aesthetic beauty to a yard and can be shoveled in the winter to allow for yard accessibility during the winter months.

Provo Residence Backyard Remodel

Water feature with pond.

Stone paver patio next to the pool.

The water feature with pond can be viewed from the pool area.

Rock wall border with rock steps in the timber garden box area.

How To Train Your Grass

DID YOU KNOW THAT OVER-WATERING YOUR LAWN WEAKENS IT? WATERING EVERY DAY CAUSES THE ROOT SYSTEM TO BE SHALLOW, THEN ONE OR TWO DAYS IN JULY OR AUGUST WITHOUT WATER AND YOUR LAWN SHOWS SIGNS OF BURNING. WATERING LESS FREQUENTLY WILL HELP YOUR LAWN ESTABLISH A DEEPER ROOT SYSTEM. ALLOWING THE SOIL TO BECOME DRYER WILL CAUSE THE ROOTS TO SEEK MOISTER AND COOLER SOIL DEEPER DOWN, BECOMING MORE DISEASE RESISTANT AND MAKING A HEALTHIER, STRONGER TURF SYSTEM.

1. PLACE A LAYER OF MULCH AROUND TREES, SHRUBS AND FLOWERBEDS. MULCH WILL SLOW EVAPORATION AND LOWER SOIL TEMPERATURE AND INHIBITS WEED GROWTH. BARK, PEAT MOSS, GRAVEL, EVEN GRASS CLIPPINGS CAN BE USED AS EFFECTIVE MULCHES, 3-5 INCHES DEEP. AVOID BLACK PLASTIC, WATER CANNOT PENETRATE IT.

2. ADJUST YOUR SPRINKLING SYSTEM TO THE PERIOD. DON’T SET IT IN APRIL, AND THEN FORGET ABOUT IT UNTIL November. CHECK AROUND YOUR YARD MONTHLY FOR LEAKS AND CLOGGED, BROKEN OR MALFUNCTIONING HEADS. TUNE UP YOUR SYSTEM REGULARY. A BROWN SPOT MAY INDICATE A SYSTEM PROBLEM.

3. WATER BROWN SPOTS BY HAND RATHER THAN INCREASING CYCLES.

4. WATER DURING THE COOLER HOURS TO REDUCE EVAPORATION.

5. AERATE LAWNS ANNUALLY TO INCREASE WATER PENETRATION TO THE ROOTS.

6. RAISE THE SETTING OF YOUR MOWER. 2 1/2” TO 4” IS THE RECOMMENDED HEIGHT. THIS WILL SHADE AND COOL THE SOIL TEMPERATURE. LEAVE A LAYER OF CLIPPINGS EVERY FEW CUTTINGS TO MULCH AND FEED THE LAWN. KEEP MOWER BLADES SHARP.

7. PLUNGE A SCREWDRIVER INTO YOUR LAWN TO TEST FOR PENETRATION DEPTH. THE SOIL SHOULD BE MOIST 8” DOWN. THE AVERAGE ROOT SYSTEM IN UTAH LAWN IS 5”-6”, YET THE TYPE OF GRASSES WE USE SHOULD HAVE A ROOT SYSTEM OF 8”-12” DEEP.

8. CHECK TO SEE IF YOU ARE OVER-WATERING YOUR LAWN. COLLECT SOME EMPTY CONTAINERS (4 WOULD BE BEST) AND USING A PERMANENT MARKER, MARK ½”, ¾” AND 1” MARKS INSIDE. SET OUT THE CONTAINERS IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS OF ONE SPRINKLING ZONE OR PATTERN. TIME HOW LONG IT TAKES TO FILL THE VARIOUS MARKS. USE THE “MONTHLY IRRIGATION SCHEDULE”* TO DETERMINE HOW OFTEN TO APPLY IRRIGATION TO YOUR YARD. ADJUST YOUR SPRINKLING SYSTEM TIMER OR WATERING HABITS TO CONFORM WITH THE GUIDE. THIS IRRIGATION TABLE IS SPECIFIC FOR UTAH COUNTY.

MONTHLY IRRIGATION SCHEDULE FOR UTAH COUNTY, UTAH
MONTH IRRIGATION INTERVALS
½” APPLICATION ¾” APPLICATION 1” APPLICATION
MARCH -- -- --
APRIL Once every 6 days Once every 8 days Once every 10 days
MAY Once every 4 days Once every 5 days Once every 7 days
JUNE Once every 3 days Once every 4 days Once every 6 days
JULY Once every 3 days Once every 4 days Once every 6 days
AUGUST Once every 3 days Once every 5 days Once every 7 days
SEPTEMBER Once every 5 days Once every 7 days Once every 9 days
OCTOBER Once every 9 days Once every 11 days Once every 17 days
NOVEMBER -- -- --

*Source: U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

Warming Up To Spring

Winter is still hanging on and we are tired of being indoors! Fire pits are a great way to stay warm while spending time outside enjoying your yard. Below are before and after photos of a gas fire pit with a seat wall.

Pleasant Grove Family Friendly Residence

Lehi Residence Notepad Design

Although we have a professional landscape architect to design a yard that will compliment your home, you can design your yard however you like. Also, you can request your yard suit needs that are specific to your family and our designer can create a layout to attend to your specifications. This particular design was done by Karl Kuhni and the homeowner in a collaborative effort.

Lehi Residence Completed

We finished the back yard of this residence last week. The front yard, pictured above, was installed two years ago. With a back yard like this, it is like having your own resort.

This view is of the fire pit sitting area with a water feature behind it. Guests can enjoy the sound of trickling water while sitting around the fire.

The swimming pool has dark gray plaster, giving the water a deeper color of blue. Most swimming pools have white plaster giving the pool water a light blue cast.

Stepping stones leading to the swimming pool.This is the barbeque area, complete with a drinking fountain. There is also another water fountain by the stairs leading to the deck above.The two gazebos sit in front of a custom Bocce ball court. Click on the picture for a close-up.
Under the gazebo on the left is the dining area. The gazebo on the right shelters another comfortable sitting area.

View of the dining gazebo.

View under the sitting area gazebo. The homeowner is great with accessorizing and bringing their personality from the inside of the home to the outside.

Doesn't this remind you of sitting poolside at a posh resort? And it is really just steps away from your back door.

Stepping stones lead past the hot tub to the front yard.

The fire pit area is shaded by an umbrella during the day.

The water feature is a core drilled stone. The water travels into a concealed pondless tank and recirculates back to the core drilled stone.

How nice would it be to spend a relaxing evening after swimming sitting next to a cozy fire?

View from the fire pit looking toward the gazebos.